Quick Review: The Canyons (2013)

November 30, 2013 / Leave a Comment

THE CANYONS

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
NOVEMBER 30, 2013

Not intellectual but ultra sexual, “The Canyons” takes a down-and-out Lindsay Lohan and delivers a novelty in the form of nudity and sensuality. Gone are the days of “Herbie Fully Loaded” and “Mean Girls”, Lohan has completely obliterated her former Disney charm and has set on a course of rehab and full-on nude scenes. And from a very heterosexual man, I cannot completely complain. Lohan is the driving force in this film, directed by Paul Schrader, known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, and written by author Bret Easton Ellis of “American Psycho” fame. For an actress returning from quite the hiatus, Lohan grabs a hold of this role and never let’s go, commanding attention as the sexpot girlfriend whose open sexuality and conflicted feelings between two men turn the Hollywood love triangle dynamic on its head. Reminiscent of Soderbergh’s casting of pornstar Sasha Grey in “The Girlfriend Experience,” Schrader brings on male pornstar James Deen, who surprises as being an okay actor. Only flashing the moneymaker in one scene, he relies on dialogue and attitude to get him through the film and even though most of his deliveries are flat, the Hollywood bravado rings through. The story is nothing new, with a jealous boyfriend (Deen) keeping tabs on his girlfriend (Lohan) and finding out she has a secret lover (Nolan Gerard Funk). The unraveling eventual leads to a violent conclusion that slams a giant dot on the exclamation point that is this film. In the case of being memorable, “The Canyons” definitely is, with the reemergence of Lohan in her sexual prime. However, on the scale of being a good film, this remains entirely entertaining but extremely lacking and without Lohan, would likely be worthless.